Pipes have been used for many years to transport liquids, such as water and fuel, as well as gases, such as natural gas and methane. Traditionally, pipes have been buried or laid on the open surface of the ground. However, direct contact of the pipe with earth and other elements of nature increased the rate of corrosion at the pipe surface.
A solution to corrosion resulting from burying or lying pipes on the ground has been to prop them above the ground or an underground surface. Generally, they are held above the ground by supports made of cement, concrete, metal or other materials. This greatly reduces (or eliminates) the pipe-ground contact area and allows air (or other material) to insulate the outer pipe surface. It also reduces or prevents entirely direct contact of the pipe with soil containing moisture and/or reactive agents in the soil.
Unfortunately, supporting pipes above the ground has drawbacks. For example, use of supports creates periodic support-pipe interfaces that in some cases became the focal point of greatest corrosion, wear and leakage and, potentially, complete failure. Small or large vibrations causes movement of the pipe relative to the support and would, over time, create frictional wear at the point of contact. Indeed, corrosion at pipe supports is one of the leading causes of process pipe failures, which can have potentially serious consequences, such as oil spills.
In addition, many pipe support designs, such as beam supports and pipe saddles, have crevices where water is trapped and held in direct contact with the pipe surface. Once corrosion is initiated in these areas, it can quickly undercut the anti-corrosive coating, paint or film and cause rapid wall loss and create exposed, outer pipe surface area that is vulnerable to the elements. If these conditions are not addressed, entire sections of pipe can prematurely require replacement or, worse yet, leak or fails entirely.
Beam supports and saddle clamps have historically caused the majority of problems. They have these undesirable features in common:                Crevices—the formation of a crevice at the pipe surface;        Water entrapment—water is trapped and held in constant contact with the pipe surface;        Poor inspectability—these supports are virtually impossible to paint or maintain, and visual inspections and NDT are often difficult; and        Galvanic couples—even when both the pipe and the support are the same steel, the metallurgical differences can still provide enough potential to drive a galvanic corrosion cell.        
Corrosion and wear problems occurring at the pipe-support interface have been previously addressed by interposing a low-friction surface. A commonly used surface is a thermoplastic, semi-cylindrical rod, such as the product sold as the IROD. The IROD is intended to provide a low-friction surface at the point of greatest frictional wear between the support and the outside surface of the pipe being supported.
Systems and methods of installing the IROD, and maintaining it in place, have been problematic. For example, the low-friction surface was held in place at either end by the ends of the U-bolt that also held the pipe to the support. This subjected the low-friction surface to flexing between the ends.
Also, because the U-bolt was relatively thick, the holes through the low-friction surface were relatively large as compared to the width of the surface. This posed the potential of the end of the U-bolt working through the edge of the low-friction surface. If this occurred, the low-friction surface could pivot out of position and allow the pipe to contact the upper surface of the support. As discussed above, this would expose the pipe surface to even higher potential rates of corrosion, wear, leakage and failure.
To prevent flex, and failure of the connection of U-bolt to low-friction surface at one end, the low-friction surface was bolted or screwed into the cement upper surface of the support. This is awkward and difficult. It also introduces new areas of potential wear and corrosion, at the bolt/screw-cement interface. Moisture can be trapped in these areas under the low-friction surface. If the bolt/screw failed, this would potentially prejudice the position of the low-friction surface relative to the pipe-support interface. If the low-friction surface was to be displaced from its position between the support and the pipe, the pipe would again be exposed to focused areas of corrosion, wear, leakage and potential failure.
From the discussion that follows, it will become apparent that the present invention addresses the deficiencies associated with the prior art while providing numerous additional advantages and benefits not contemplated or possible with prior art constructions.